Un “castello a forme medievali”. Restauri neomedievali dell’architetto purista senese Giuseppe Partini

A study of the restoration of the castle of Torre Alfina, in northern Lazio, is the occasion to propose a wider reflection on the “invention” of the medieval past by nineteenth-century architects, under the influence of Viollet-le-Duc’s theories. The essay is divided into two parts: the former deals with the general interest of neo-medieval architects in the restoration of medieval castles. The castle typology is particularly suitable to that kind of operation where historical reconstruction and fantasy are mixed together, as clearly seen in the experience of Viollet-le-Duc in Pierrefonds, but also in Alfredo D’Andrade’s work in the park of the Valentino, in Turin. The latter part of the essay concerns the restoration of the “medieval shape” of the castle of Torre Alfina and the important role played by the architect, Giuseppe Partini, a protagonist of Purism in Siena, who considered neo-medievalism both as a sublimation of Gothic architecture, and as the highest expression of creativity. The project of Torre Alfina was realized by Partini with the help of a team of craftsmen who translated Partini’s theoretical issues on neo-medievalism and interpretation/recreation of the past into practical results